Entering a New Era

Today I stepped out of my car to help my daughter deliver candles. She made it back to the car before I. I don't know how it happened, but she managed to find two slugs on her way and then put them in my car. Before I opened my door, it seems that every child had had a slug thrown on them. Blissfully unaware, I stepped into my van, sat down, and cranked my car. Halfway down the long drive I became aware of the chanting chorus- Mom, there's a slug in your chair. MOM, you're sitting on a slug!!!!

Stop.

Clarification- what kind of slug are you talking about? (Thinking of the kind that look like a washer...)

THE ANIMAL HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! shrieks of laughter from the kids as I slammed on my brakes and jumped out and began shrieking myself- thankfully in a strange neighborhood where I had already finished my business.

Practical Jokes. It's ON!

Oh, and let me just say, there is still another slug lost in my van. May it slime her car seat all night.

Also, how can the dainty little tea party loving princess ballet dancer actually TOUCH a SLUG? I'm disgusted.

Asher

Asher, use the key to color the shapes. It's like a puzzle.

What color should the triangles be? "Green."

What color should the circles be? "Blue"

What color should all the squares be? "Orange."

That's yellow.

"Oh, yellow. It's ok. My eyes are blind-colored."

He's right :)

Excitement in a country life...

We've never had so many interesting moments so close together. About two weeks ago we had a great horned owl trapped in our chicken coop at 4:00 am. We think he'd been trying to get them all night, and our big, bad rooster had been doing a great job protecting them- and keeping us up all night, too. In the end it got in and couldn't get out, and unfortunately we did lose one chick, but that's not bad considering the loss of 8 geese to owls last year. The owl was HUGE. I've never seen such big talons so close. He just sat on the roost while the rooster marshaled all the chicks and hens in a corner and made a huge ruckass (is that not a word?). We had to force him off the pole, and thought he would attack us. He didn't. Then we repaired the roof in the dark- it had been damaged by the terrible storms we had before. The owl had come in through an 8 inch by 8 foot gap (I measured). I can't believe it. I also can't believed that Ian climbed on top of the barn roof in the dark to retrieve the chicken coop's roof tin. I really can't believe neither of us took a picture of the owl- it would have been perfect. The light was on in the coop, so you could see him really well- such eyes!

Baby rabbits in the garden earlier this spring- I think I blogged about them already.

Several snake sightings in the yard, barn and orchard- rat snakes, garter snakes, and king snakes so far.

Lots of dog attacks on our chickens, so momma's been toting a gun- a little 22 cricket- it's the smallest we have. Elizabeth, Asher, and Gabriel are a little gun happy. Elizabeth can't wait till I kill something. I don't think she quite understands what that means. Anyway, I shot a dog two days ago. He's been around a lot, chasing chickens and the cat. He is a puppy, a chocolate lab. He's adorable and sweet, but he's hurting my chickens and digging up the flowers we planted around the porch. I've shooed him away over and over, kicked him, yelled at him, and hit him with sticks. He kept coming back. Wednesday I shot him with rat shot in the left hind quarter somewhere. He hid under my porch instead of running home. I pulled him out and beat him off to his house. He hasn't been back, but I'm so worried I really hurt him. Elizabeth was thrilled I killed him. As a side note, an older man rides horses up and down the street daily. He just happened to be riding by the driveway as I yelled 'get on home, go on.' He looked askance at me because he couldn't see the dog on the porch. When I shot the poor dog he spun like a top in the saddle. He didn't seem to be too happy. I hope I haven't scared him off, he seems like such a nice man.

Yesterday a peacock decided to live in our yard. I have no idea where she came from- I suppose she's technically a pea hen. She likes the bugs and flowers and the tall grass and the field full of weeds. She's tame and sweet. She stayed next to Ian for hours while he worked on the truck yesterday. She greeted me on the front and back porch this morning. I guess we'll keep her unless someone asks for her, or she flies off.

Then to add to our fun, we watched the cat play with a mouse in the driveway. School stopped so we could all watch fascinated as he batted it around, let it try to run a way, and then pounce on it again.

I can't think of anything else, but I know we have had a lot of close encounters of the animal kind lately.

Micaela and AHG

Yesterday we attended a service project with our closest AHG troop. The girls served dinner at a community soup kitchen/food pantry/coat closet. They learned about what it means to really be hungry, poor, homeless. There were showers there, laundry facilities, a hair stylist, people that help find jobs, shelters, homes, etc. The girls took a tour, and then they worked to divy up hundreds of frozen hamburger patties in gallon zip lock bags to distribute to the guests. They served drinks and food at the meal, waited tables a little, and at the end of the meal, they washed them and cleaned the dining area. Micaela really enjoyed this project and hopes to go back. She felt good about giving back, and you can tell she's really proud to have done something real for someone else- oh and those patches, she's proud of those too :P

Micaela, Sport, and our instructor Sara, who happens to be a former Navy linuist!

We really enjoyed our first riding lesson. She rode English this week (and so did I- a first). We didn't ride much because we learned a lot about the anatomy of the horse and all his accouterments, and then we spent forever grooming them (another first) because we were slow. I really enjoyed the grooming, though it made us filthy. Micaela said she liked brushing the mane and tail, but using the hoof pick stank. She rode a little horse named Sport who prefered grass to anything else. I rode a giant chicken of a horse named Drifter. You can see the birds eye view from my perch on Drifter's back.

Tomorrow the children and I are going to go have some fun. Ian has given us permission to go to Dollywood, and we're excited because it's the Festival of Nations! I hope to put some pictures up Friday night for you, hon, and I love you and we miss you.

This one's for Memere...

And all the rest of the posts this week will be for Ian who is unexpectedly traveling internationally, where it costs a fortune to call but nothing to surf the web...

So here's for Memere!

(More than an hour later and chanting 'I will not forget to erase the card again...' Why does it insist on copying all the old 'new' photos?)

The gang's all here- cousins Olivia and Aidan, and our best boy Judah. I guess Olivia isn't in this photo.

This is Elizabeth's best boy Judah, looking very handsome ;) The all-out assault- I mean the barnyard toss. (Beanie baby farm animals being thrown in every direction)The birthday girl, appreciating her song and her cake. Cowgirl cuteness looking at the horse demonstration...

Riding her pony...Loving this ride...Gabriel can really turn on the smile, but this one's mostly real :)Nathaniel can turn on the smile too- it just doesn't look genuine ;) Don't worry, it is.Elizabeth waiting for her turn. She climbed higher up the gate every minute.Micaela really liked it. I can't believe I didn't get pictures of pinning the tail on bullseye, the kids playing with their stick horses or my Grandad with Simon Slick-remember the mule song, Nader? Grandad got a stick mule. If you don't remember it, google Curly Fox and Johnson's Old Grey Mule- you need a laugh- Michelle, you should pee before watching it.

My mom has photos of that though, and when I can get a copy, I will put them up.

We all had such a fun time- this birthday was worth every penny! I hope they don't ever forget it, but I know I won't. Thank you Chas for making the outfit! She did LOVE it.

A Conversation to Remember

Elizabeth (who is still two)- When Mom takes me in the room, in the boy room, and Mom paints me a boy, then I can be a boy like Baby Jesus and I can be with Baby Jesus.

Asher (who is four) Nuh-uh. Mom can't paint you a boy. You're a girl.

Elizabeth- Mom can paint me a boy.

Nathaniel (7)- Maybe God can because He is strong.

Gabriel (6)- Yeah, God is so strong he can pick up this world. And the other world- you know, the world where there is fire and no friends. He can pick that world up too. He can pick them up at the same time. He is that strong.

Asher- Yeah. There is nobody strong like God is strong.

Elizabeth- Mom, can you paint me a boy?

Mom- No honey, I can't paint you a boy, because God made you a girl. He wanted you to be a girl, but you can be with Baby Jesus when you get to heaven, and it won't matter if you're a girl or a boy in heaven.

Gabriel- Yeah, like when you lay down to sleep in the dirt, and they bury you in the dirt. Then you can be with Jesus.

Elizabeth- But Mom can paint me a boy.

FYI- Micaela just listened in amusement to this conversation- the magic of it all is somehow lost on her, but not on Nathaniel. She's growing up and he's next :(